Digital Coast

Issue

Hurricanes can cause extensive damage to the coastline and coastal communities due to wind-generated waves and storm surge. While extensive modeling efforts have been conducted regarding storm surge, there is far less information about the added effects of wind waves that accompany storm surge, especially for inland water bodies. Because the addition of storm surge to inundation by large waves can be the difference between a structure surviving a storm or not, proper emergency response planning and asset protection requires knowledge of wind wave distribution during extreme events.

Process

The Wave Exposure Model (WEMo) estimates wave energy and its effects on ecosystem functions and developed coastal and inland water areas. The tool was used to hindcast the wind wave energy distribution of the New River Estuary during 2003’s Hurricane Isabel. Two hurricane simulations were run for the area, first by passing the hurricane along its actual path with a landfall east of the New River Estuary, and second by passing the same storm to the west of the estuary. The simulations produced a geographically accurate description of wave energy in three-hour time steps, revealing the changing exposure of the region as a consequence of landfall location.

Impact

These simulations are being applied to the development of a shoreline management plan for the New River Estuary at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. When joined with other factors such as storm surge modeling, the findings are useful to local emergency agencies and the public in anticipating the relative exposure of their shoreline property. Of particular interest is the distribution of debris, which when combined with wind waves, adds significant potential for property damage. These simulations are also being used by resource managers to examine the quantitative effects of storms on local living marine resources.

Two hurricane simulations were run for the New River Estuary and Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, first by passing Hurricane Isabel (2003) along its actual path with landfall east of the estuary, and second by passing the same storm to the west of the estuary.